Best Code Quality Tools in 2025

At the heart of any software application is its code. That's the logic software depends on to run properly and provide users with an optimal experience. But if the code contains errors and lacks clear documentation, it's hard to maintain. Developers may struggle to modify it or even understand its function. 

Code quality refers to a code's clarity and ease of use. Well-written code is simple for developers to work with. It's less susceptible to errors that disrupt software performance and lead to problems down the line when your team is building new features or fixing bugs.

But checking code quality isn't always straightforward, especially if your team is working on a tight schedule. That's where using code quality tools is beneficial. These tools identify problematic code early so your developers can fix it before it becomes a liability. 

Evaluating Code Quality

What makes code high-quality? There are different parameters that developers and organizations use to assess it. Ultimately, reliability is the primary metric used to determine quality. Essentially, code that repeatedly executes as expected, without encountering errors or failures, qualifies as good code.

Other hallmarks of high-quality code include its readability and scalability. It should be easy for new developers and teams to maintain the code, even if the original developer isn't available. They should also be able to increase load and complexity, streamline code transfers to new platforms, and make adjustments for new features.

Code Quality Metrics 

To ensure the quality of your code, it's essential to regularly assess your work. Code quality metrics help your team objectively determine whether your code is "good" or "bad." Here are some of the most common metrics to help you assess and evaluate software code quality. 

1. Code complexity
2. Maintainability
3. Testability
4. Functionality
5. Duplicate code

Code Complexity

Overreliance on complex if/else statements drags down coding quality. Complex code is difficult for developers to read and reason about. Ultimately, minimizing the number of lines necessary to run the program makes it easier to read and understand.

Maintainability

Software requires regular maintenance to fix bugs and improve performance. The more branches, loops, and conditions a function has, the greater the chance of missing edge cases or introducing logic errors. As a result, it becomes risky and expensive to make even small changes. High-quality code should be simple to maintain because it follows coding best practices and standards.

Testability

Testability is a crucial code quality metric that measures how easy it is to write and run automated tests for a piece of code. High testability directly contributes to more reliable, maintainable, and scalable software. Code shouldn't require numerous unit tests to find its faults. Instead, testing tools quickly pinpoint issues so your developers can address them.

Functionality

All software programs have a purpose, and code serves to meet it. High-quality code contributes to the program's functionality while remaining concise. If code doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do, then what is the point? 

Duplicate Code

Lengthy programs sometimes contain duplicate code, which increases the risk of bugs and failures. Removing duplicate statements aids developers charged with maintaining a program or codebase. 

Top 5 Code Quality Tools 

Manual analysis remains a key part of writing and deploying code. However, if your applications have extensive codebases that contain millions of lines, reviewing them all without using any tools may prove impossible, especially if you don't have a dedicated team of developers to do it. 

That's where code quality analysis tools come in. Most IT and development teams use an array of tools to monitor code and pinpoint problematic lines. The tools help catch oversights that impede software performance and introduce security flaws. They also improve code organization and make it easier for teams to collaborate on their projects. 

What are the best code quality tools to incorporate into your organization? We've identified several solutions used to scan code and deliver reliable feedback to enhance its quality.

SonarQube 

SonarQube quickly analyzes code and provides clear insights that your developers can use to address issues. It's available as a standalone or cloud-based solution, and includes support to review code across multiple languages. 

Features

SonarQube's standout features include its built-in dashboard that highlights code health. Using the dashboard, developers get clear insight into codebase reliability and security issues. Each identified issue receives an A, B, C, or D rating, making it easy to understand where the most problematic code lives. 

SonarQube includes customization options that allow organizations to set specific guidelines and policies for all code to meet before deployment. The extra layer of customization combined with SonarQube's built-in compliance standards makes it an essential tool for any company serious about developing high-quality code and reliable software.

Benefits

• Integrates with major coding platforms, including GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, and Bitbucket Pipelines
• Analyzes code in 25+ languages, including C++, JavaScript, Python, Go, and Ruby
• Reviews code as it's written, allowing developers to catch errors immediately
• Free version available on the cloud for projects with up to 50,000 lines of code
• Is easy to use and understand

Cons

• May inaccurately flag code as problematic

How SonarQube Improves Code Quality

SonarQube offers deep insights into code quality, security vulnerabilities, and technical debt across multiple programming languages. Its dashboard includes informative metrics categorizing common coding problems like bugs and duplicate blocks. Developers can use SonarQube to streamline maintenance and enhance overall code quality.

Codacy 

Codacy is ideal for software teams working on large code databases. It's simple to implement and integrates with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. The tool reviews code as your team writes it, so they can fix mistakes before deployment. It also provides a comprehensive dashboard with complete visibility into code health.

Features

Codacy positions itself as a safeguard against inaccurate AI-generated code. If you're seeking to elevate your coing output, you can implement Codacy directly with your AI coding agent, whether that's Windsurf, Cursor, or VSCode. The integration allows your developers to customize code based on in-house security and quality rules.

Another prominent feature of Codacy is its built-in security testing. It analyzes code for hard-coded secrets no company wants to expose, such as passwords and encryption keys. It also looks for known vulnerabilities across your code and in the open-source libraries you use. Customers also benefit from Codacy's Penetration and Dynamic Application Security Testing.

Benefits

• Complies with GDPR and SOC 2 standards
• Offers out-of-the-box support for 49 programming languages
• Provides clear reports that identify problems and suggest solutions
• Prioritizes issues by severity level
• Does not cap lines of code analyzed

Cons

• Only supports TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, and Java languages in the free version
• Only offers direct customer support through video chat with custom pricing

How Codacy Improves Code Quality

Codacy is especially useful if your company leverages AI-generated code in your products. It promptly identifies inconsistencies and security flaws and suggests ways to fix them. 

PVS-Studio 

PVS-Studio is a long-running code quality tool that has been available since 2006. While it lacks some of the flashy features of newer products, it makes up for it by delivering exceptional results. If you're looking for a dependable tool you can install on premises, PVS-Studio could be the right fit for your organization.

Features

PVS-Studio specializes in finding dead code and security vulnerabilities. It compares code across multiple standards, including Common Weakness Enumeration, SEI CERT, and MISRA. Results from PVS-Studio explain the base reasoning why code fails, so developers can take the appropriate action to fix it.

PVS-Studio markets itself as a solution to organizations struggling with technical debt and overly buggy products. It's also helpful if your team is working on a tight deadline, where manual code review isn't always possible.

Benefits

• Tackles numerous coding issues, including serialization/deserialization, array index out of bounds, and incorrect method handling
• Provides local, server-side, and cloud analysis options
• Categorizes errors by certainty level
• Integrates with game engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine

Cons

• Only supports C, C#, C++, and Java
• Doesn't offer a free plan

How PVS-Studio Improves Code Quality

PVS-Studio is all about efficiency and accuracy. According to its list of inspections, PVS-Studio has caught numerous problems and errors across various products, games, browsers, and libraries. The insights lend credibility to the serious approach PVS-Studio takes to finding bugs and improving code quality. A paid plan lets you access expert technical support and extensive documentation to help your developers understand code scan results.

CodeScene

CodeScene's primary focus is managing technical debt. It organizes code reviews and analysis into a hotspot visualization map that pinpoints the most problematic areas. Developers can drill down to uncover the issues and resolve them.

Features

One area where code quality tools could stand to improve is targeting critical issues. CodeScene does precisely that by compartmentalizing the biggest problems into a heatmap. That allows your developers to focus on those first, before moving on to less worrisome areas.

CodeScene includes functionality for automated code reviews, which help you track developer performance. The insights show how a developer's input improves or deteriorates existing code, which improves developer performance over the long term.

Benefits

• Provides clear visualizations that specify critical areas that require immediate attention
• Gives insights into your developer's adherence to best coding practices
• Supports over 25 programming languages
• Integrates with Jira, Trello, GitHub Issues, and similar systems

Cons

• Is more expensive than other solutions
• Uses an interface that may be overwhelming to some

How CodeScene Improves Code Quality

Companies with a large legacy codebase benefit the most from CodeScene. Its focus on technical debt helps developers prioritize risky code blocks and optimize new additions. 

Pylint 

Pylint is an open-source code quality tool built especially for Python. It's free to use, making it a must if your company works exclusively with Python code.

Features

Pylint is available as a direct command-line installation on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Git. It's also compatible with various IDEs, including Spyder and TextMate. The tool comes with extensive community documentation on its website or community resources like GitHub.

According to Mukul Gupta, CEO of Capital Numbers, "Pylint is best for Python code quality and linting" because it reviews static code without running it, identifying common errors such as line code length and poorly-formed variables. Your developers can customize Pylint to show specific error types and conventions, and hide unimportant ones.

Benefits

• Is free to use
• Offers some customization options
• Has a large documentation library and a robust user community

Cons

• Only supports Python

How Pylint Improves Code Quality

Pylint catches thousands of common Python mistakes, from syntax errors to exceptions. It reviews code during the process, pointing out problems before deployment. Pylint's thoroughness is advantageous for crafting high-quality code that adheres to best practices.

Using Static & Dynamic Code Analysis for Better Code Quality 

A combination of static and dynamic code analysis tools is the key to high-quality code. "While each approach has its unique advantages, they are most effective when used together," said Arun Sreedharan, CEO of Zoondia. Static tools look at code before it runs, identifying errors in the writing process. But they can't pick up on problems that only show up after code execution, which is where dynamic analysis fits in. 

With dynamic code analysis tools, your developers can evaluate how the code behaves at compile time and run time to ensure higher code quality across all your repositories.

Enhance Code Quality with Efficient Tools

High-quality code is easy to scale and maintain. It lacks complexities and duplications, making it less vulnerable to security breaches. If you're looking for ways to enhance code quality, start with an analysis tool that aligns with your needs. The analysis results can help your developers identify problem code and implement fixes to improve its clarity. 
 

About the Author

Hannah Hicklen Content Marketing Manager at Clutch

Hannah Hicklen is a content marketing manager who focuses on creating newsworthy content around tech services, such as software and web development, AI, and cybersecurity. With a background in SEO and editorial content, she now specializes in creating multi-channel marketing strategies that drive engagement, build brand authority, and generate high-quality leads. Hannah leverages data-driven insights and industry trends to craft compelling narratives that resonate with technical and non-technical audiences alike. 

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